Future Aesthetic

I have been busy at work on STASIS, but predominantly on the boring backend stuff! So no shiney new screenshots of videos just yet… 😉

That said, I thought I would go through a few of my ideas with regards to the design theory of the games aesthetic.

I have divided up the ‘feel’ of STASIS into 3 distinct groups, MILITARY, INDUSTRIAL, and MEDICAL.

MILITARY TECHNOLOGY

When approaching the technology design in STASIS, I am really balancing ‘cool’ vs ‘functional.’ In the back of my mind, when designing anything, is the knowledge that this is a military installation. Ill often do research on certain aspects of military technology. One of the things that constantly pops up in my research, is just how out of date military technology tends to be. Helicopters that were designed before the Vietnam war are still in operational use. Many of the current day Aircraft Carriers were commissioned in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Most of us don’t even have cars that are that old!

Military technology also has a hard edge to it. Things tend to be thicker…bulkier. As such, I have tried to carry that over into the design of the military aspects of The Groomlake. You aren’t going to find slim and sexy glass screens here…it is a deep space ship that has been designed to be as maintenance free as possible….designed to be out in action for months, even years at a time without having to be refitted.

MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY

In the middle of this vast military complex, filled with aging technology is the absolute height of research and development….medical technology. The Groomlake is one of the most advanced medical research facilities ever constructed. If you look at the current medical devices coming to the market, many of them wouldn’t feel out of place on a Star Trek set.

I really love the idea of having this slick, futuristic, sterile equipment being paired up against the hard, heavy military equipment. Having that juxtaposition I think will really give the medical side of the design quite a disturbing edge to it. Like its just..out of place.

INDUSTRIAL

The industrial parts of the design really make up the bulk of the structure. So while certain areas will be predominantly military, or medical, they will all be based on the INDUSTRIAL structure.

I have been heavily inspired by the Event Horizon. It really is one of the best Sci-Fi ship designs, and the gothic feel of it has very much bled into the design of certain areas of the Groomlake. The idea is to take those Gothic features, but not make them overtly ‘ornate’. If you take a look at The Arrivals Hall, you will see large curves arches, and different levels that are very similar to a cathedral….but hopefully without shouting out ‘THIS IS A CATHEDRAL!’.

Old factories, train stations, and subways also make up a basis for the inspiration of the industrial areas of the ship.

COOL STUFF

Something that I want to add is a sence of believablility to some of the more ‘fantastic’ elements. One of them is holograms. Holograms just kick ass-and, along with things that hover, holograms should be in every Sci-Fi game, movie, book, or comic. BUT finding a new way to pacage an existing idea is always tempting. A friend of mine posted something on her FACEBOOK page:

For those to lazy to clikc the link (you know who you are!), they are pieces of art done by a chinese artsit named Xia Xiaowan. What he does is paint different slices of a 3D image on panes of glass, and when they are stacked together they form a very unusual effect. Now I think that, instead of having ‘normal’ holograms, using something like this could create a very neat looking, and realistic hologram effect. What you guys think?

XCalPro

That is an interesting idea. I am not sure that having a stack of glass plates would give you the effect you are looking for since they would only be viewable from one angle. You may want to consider using concentric glass cylinders. This would give you a better image from any direction and more of a holographic illusion.

http://www.stasisgame.com Chris

Yeah-I agree that the stacked glass is a little limited, especially because of the isometric angle. I will have to do a few tests and see what shows off the idea/effect best!